


then she'll be a true love of mine

by Elizabeth Conall (EllieMurasaki)



Category: Scarborough Fair (Traditional Ballad)
Genre: Nonbinary Character, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-24
Updated: 2013-09-24
Packaged: 2017-12-27 13:09:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/979304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieMurasaki/pseuds/Elizabeth%20Conall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose and Quinn broke up; do they want to get back together? Choose-your-own-adventure!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Parsley

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kaesa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaesa/gifts), [raspberryhunter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raspberryhunter/gifts).



Rose stares blankly at the text from Quinn. She doesn't know what cambric is, though she gathers it's a type of cloth; how can she make a shirt of it without sewing? Wash in a dry well—how is that possible?

That's the click. It's not supposed to be.

Where will she be without Quinn? Ze's been a part of her life for—oh, years and years now, weathering her brainstorms without a qualm. She turns round and round the ring on her finger, the ring with the tiny ruby that Quinn gave her as a promise. Ruby for heart's blood.

[If Rose decides to try Quinn's task, click here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/979304/chapters/1927657) [If Rose decides not to, click here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/979304/chapters/1927654)


	2. Sage

Rose texts back with a Taylor Swift title. It feels as though she's lost the war without a battle.

She still has the ring, which is unquestionably hers; the money from selling it, if she can bear to, will be a nice consolation prize.

_The End_


	3. Rosemary

Quinn is about Rose's size, and shaped similarly. Rose buys a hand loom, practices till she knows its ways, and pulls out a pencil and paper to figure out how to design a loom that will let her weave a piece of cylindrical cloth. It's several months and quite a bit of money before she comes up with satisfactory results. She doesn't hear from Quinn once.

Rose takes a video of herself modeling what is, essentially, a cotton tube top, dry-cleaner tag still attached. She texts it to Quinn with a note listing an equally impossible set of tasks; she spent nearly as long perfecting the list as she did making the shirt.

For her next trick, she thinks she'll try weaving with colors. She likes weaving, and owes Quinn one for turning her towards it.

* * *

Quinn stares blankly at the text from Rose. Ze is pretty sure the shirt isn't actually cambric, but as far as ze can tell from the video, it was made without needles. So Rose took zir up on the breakup-text impossible task. That's...

Actually impressive.

Quinn's missed Rose, ze can't deny. But these past several months without her have been...peaceful.

That text, that's a challenge.

[If Quinn decides to take up Rose's challenge, click here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/979304/chapters/1927661) [If Quinn decides not to, click here.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/979304/chapters/1927658)


	4. Thyme

Quinn lets the text go by unanswered. Even if farming on a beach were a plausible thing, ze's happier without Rose, and ze's as sure as ze can be that Rose is happier without Quinn.

* * *

Rose weaves a yard of cloth in greens and golds, and pays a craft store to frame it for her. She hangs it on her wall, replacing the print of a lighthouse that she and Quinn had bought together.

_The End_


	5. Every rose grows merry with time

Quinn doesn't have the faintest idea where one would come by land between the saltwater and the shore, and ze's not even going to try farming on a beach, but a beach house, now that's a thing ze can do. Ze and Rose had talked about it, a couple years back; not buying necessarily, but renting would do, just to be (to steal a line) beside the seaside, by the beautiful sea.

Zir finances have improved in the intervening years. With income from renting the place out, buying is within the realm of possibility.

Quinn drives down to the shore, picks out a house with a For Sale sign, and takes a picture of zirself in front of it, texting it to Rose: _this doesn't answer the question you asked, but does it answer the question you meant?_

* * *

Rose weaves a yard of cloth in greens and blues, and pays a craft store to frame it for her. She hangs it on the wall of the beach house, overruling Quinn's initial objection, but when Quinn sees it up, ze smiles and says it looks perfect.

_The End_


End file.
